Tag: Christopher Raja

Literary Commons

SoutherlyBlog

By Christopher Raja When asked about his approach, the iconic artist and blogger, Ai Weiwei said:  ‘we’re actually a part of the reality, and if we don’t realise that, we are totally irresponsible. We are a productive reality. We are the reality, but that part of reality means that we need to produce another reality.’ Ten Dalit tribal writers visited Australia to engage with fellow Indigenous writers. This event, Literary Commons, organised by Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty, was about cutting edge literature as well as politics. It highlighted to me the synergy that takes place when you blend cultural and political…

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The Family Recipe

SoutherlyBlog

by Christopher Raja Stay happy and get fat like the laughing Buddha. In India we often associate a full stomach and fat people as being prosperous and happy. Ganesha’s big belly is believed to contain the entire universe within it. Food is something we can all relate to. We all eat. It gives us our sense of identity. Plenty of families still meet over the dinner table, mothers pass on recipes, and Sunday roasts are often the scene of many a family saga. While for other families life can be cruel and they simply can’t afford food. Children go hungry…

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Writing ‘The Burning Elephant’

SoutherlyBlog

by Christopher Raja “startling”, “ vivid” and “compelling” (Sydney Morning Herald, 20 November, 2015) The Burning Elephant is a Young Adult novel that deals with the assassination of Indira Gandhi and it is completely set in India; it is also about a family’s journey to Australia. It’s a lot more than this and difficult to categorise. When I began writing this novel it was as a response to my father’s untimely death. He drowned when I was eighteen, and for years I was rudderless and I got very sick. Looking back at our time in India was a way for…

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Revisiting ‘The First Garden’

SoutherlyBlog

by Christopher Raja ‘A true and original gift for the rest of Australia’. – Stephen Armstrong, Chair of the Theatre Board, Australia Council, May 2012. ‘The most that you could want out of a show. It makes you go out of the theatre and want to know more’.  John Baylis – Producer, Performing Lines, September 2011. ‘Utterly moved’. Angela O’Donnell – Artback NT, September 2011 ‘Brilliantly conceived, beautifully acted and directed, and written with love and care, The First Garden was arguably the stand-out feature of this year’s Alice Desert Festival’. Dave Richards – Alice Online, September, 2011 Recently, while…

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New Monthly Blogger – Christopher Raja!

SoutherlyBlog, News

An enormous thanks to Michelle Hamadache, who not only gave us such excellent posts, but did all this while reading our fiction submissions. Our blogger for April is Christopher Raja. His bio is below.   Christopher Raja migrated to Melbourne from Kolkata in 1986, and now lives and works in Alice Springs. He is the co-author of the play The First Garden (Currency Press, 2012) and author of the YA novel, The Burning Elephant (Giramondo, 2015).